My own personal rant zone

One of the bravest men I have ever heard of...

2006-12-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

I have pretty much followed the Kim's Family story every day. I used to watch James when he was on TechTV a few years ago. He reviewed digital cameras at the time, and more often than not, his wife and child (at the time) were the subject of many of his test shots. Oddly, we got to watch his family grow through his review...I think that’s one of the reasons the online community grasped this story so firmly between it’s teeth.

That aside, there is just something I can’t get out of my head. His last few minutes with his wife and children. From close accounts, the whole time they were stranded, he pretended with his older girl that they were just camping. But that must have all ended when he said his final good-byes. Having two kids, I simply cannot imagine knowing what it must feel like to say good-bye like that. I am not fond of the term hero, because as a people we have just blown the meaning of that word…but what I do think is that James Kim was one of the bravest people I could imagine. Maybe I could have walked a couple of miles in the snow…but I could NOT have left my family. I am not that brave. It was that act of bravery that saved the family. A local pilot found them on a hunch tracking them by his foot prints. It was his bravery that gave them the chance they needed. In his place, my family might not have made it.

http://www.jamesandkati.com/ there is a donations button here. I had just happened to sell of an old iSight I had…It seemed like a fitting thing to do with the money. Maybe if all of us tech nerds unloaded one un-needed tech goodie on ebay, we could help the family pay for the rescue efforts, and a fund for the family in general.

Take care James, you did good...

So, What's wrong with me...

2006-11-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

So I am at a weird space with my gaming. I think I have mentioned some aspects of it both here and on the podcasts I do, so if you care to join me on this journey, right on. Maybe brainstorming with myself will help figure it out...if not it will at least give me my first blog entry in ages.

So, here goes. If i had to list the games I have in my collection I really care about, let's give it a shot:

Role-Playing:
Dogs in the Vineyard
Fudge
True20
Mutants and Masterminds
and pretty much whatever is new and shiny, cause that's really another huge personality flaw of mine.

Miniatures:
Flames of War
Infinity: The Game
Warmachine
Battletech

BoardGames:
Federation Commander
Too many to name that I would at least like to try.

Here is where I really run into trouble - Casual Games:
Pirates of the Spanish Main
Dreamblade
Fluxx
The WoW CCG
And others.

So, as I have mentioned int he past, I have little free time to play games. I generally have time to paint or play, but if I do both, they both suffer. At times that's fairly frustrating and will cause to to focus on one or the other...neglecting one. Which then is frustrating in another fashion.

How did all this really come up? It was this morning, when I was given the chance to play Vincent Baker's Mechaton. I was really resistant. I am almost certain it had a lot to do with feeling like I _should_ be playing one of the other games on my ever growing list, rather than adding another one to it. Is it because I am feeling overwhelmed? Guilty for basically sucking at many of the games I play because I play so many? Then I find myself not playing anything because I am in a massive rut.

I am wondering if I should just abandon a portion of the hobby. I just don't know which it would be. Maybe I should whittle down my games...but which ones? Maybe Pirates? Maybe Dreamblade? Maybe I should shoot WoW in the foot before I really get started? Is that really the answer? Many, many questions...so few answers.

And maybe that's why I reacted the way I did to the Mechaton game today. I wasn't willing to even open up to it, which is so not fair either to my friend Chris who was excited about it...or to Vincent Baker for writing something novel and creative. I walked into it not wanting to like it, because ultimately I knew it would just be something else to add to the shelf, never to be played again. So I dismissed it even during the demo. Sorry, Chris.

Now is the time in Sprokets where we dance. I suppose I need to go and sit and figure this out. I gotta do _something_

Anyway, wish me luck, I really think I need it.

So, we had a party...

2006-10-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes planning pays off. It really does. I think the 5th Anniversary party we threw for the store this past Saturday was the best event we have had yet. It was easily one of the most well attended (say 450 people through the doors that day), and the single best sales day in our history. Whew.

I am pretty sure I, and the rest of the staff worked on the planning of the party for at least two months prior. It was the coordination of so many schedules that ended up by being the most work, and it's times like this party that I thank my lucky stars I was a professional project manger type person for a while. I haven't really done that much coordination in a few years, and I forgot how much I enjoy the challenge. It's even more rewarding when it's for "you" as they say. I pulled some pretty cool things off in my Web/Marketing career, but this was way more satisfying. So, what did we do...

It all started on Friday, when I picked Chris Pramas of Green Ronin at the Airport that morning. (He has a great account of this on his blog, and is a much better writer than I am, go figure.) The poor guy had already been up for hours, but refused a break, and we dived right into some Classic BattleTech. (one of these days I will post a rant about why I simply can't ever lose the bad taste in my mouth when I use it's full name...but that's another story.) For someone who hadn't played in 15 years, he did a darn fine job. We rolled with some old school 3025 mechs (still my personal favorite era to play in), and played until we ran out of time. There was some Death From Above, and some falling over...so I sure had fun. My good friend Brian, met us at my place..we jumped in the Hybrid, and made our way up to Napa.

Now, if you have been following the game industry as long as I have (I mean, seriously...I have been Waldorfing on it since as long as I can remember), you have to understand just how fun this ride was. Chris P is full of some awesome stories. Answered questions to things I have been wondering for years. It was spectacular. But I digress....

So we made our way up to Yountville in pretty darn short order for a Friday afternoon. This gave us plenty of time to relax, do some wine tasting...and get in the proper mindset for an evening at one of Thomas Keller's fine eateries. As some of you may have seen in previous blog entries, y'all know I completed cooking school in March of 2004. Going to Bouchon is pretty much like reading a menu out of school. It's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. I adore tradtional french at times, and get a little tired of fusion and all that other bidness. Bouchon delievers in that department. Along with making me feel homesick for my chef's whites...the service is impeccable. I don't think I want to bore you with details on the meal, but let's just say it was quite good. Bouchon is a littler easier to get into than The French Laundry. If you know you are heading to Napa at any point, make reservations...Lunch is just as good as dinner.

Skipping ahead to Saturday, man, oh man..we hit the ground running. After we opened the doors at 9am, The demos really started rocking at about 11am, and the game room was packed the whole time after that. The sales floor stayed equally busy the whole time. As the day progressed, and the demos went on, something really started to hit me. I think I forget sometimes how we have crafted something people really care about. I manage to forget how many friendships have formed around what really is just a retail store...but kinda not. I know we make money off our business, and if we didn't we would close (duh, right?), but when people come out to just say thanks, and congratulate us...it all really comes home for me. Maybe more-so at this party than any of the others.

Now that we are 5, the store has had a chance to mature. We have watched a few of the kids grow up. We have seen our community mature as well. And, for me...that's what this whole thing is about. Community. EndGame isn't just a store anymore, it's a community of people with like interests, tastes, mindsets, and passions. It's become almost a thing bigger than the store itself, at this point. And, aside from my family...it's the thing I am most proud to have been involved in.

We have made a difference in these few years. Not only have we helped support a community, we have helped it grow. One of my goals in joining EndGame was to do whatever I could to get new people into a hobby I hold very dear...and this party made me realize we are doing it. Everyday. And that, is just wonderful. I dunno how long I will do this. I really don't. But, in some ways, I dunno what else I could do that would mean more to me...if that makes sense.

So. HOORAY!

One more fact that the terrorists are winning...

2006-09-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

I own a game store, and was working behind the counter all day yesterday...not one person mentioned Talk like a pirate day.

Sigh.

Well, I'm back...mostly...

2006-09-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

The store just did Conquest SF, and it was quite the time. I worked my butt off, but the store did way above what we did last year at the same con...so it was worth it. I _think_ overall attendence at the show was up. It attracted some cool Indutry type folks: Ken Hite who I finally got to meet. James Ernest who was doing seminars, and seems to a be a minis gamer (which I didn't know), Keith Baker who seemed quite cool, and finally Dave Arneson. That was pretty damn cool. I don't tend to be the fanboy type, but to see someone who has had a defining impact on your life, is pretty neat.

I am pretty beat. I think that's an understatement. The back issues I have been dealing with for a while make these cons a lot harder on me, and I find that they take even longer to recover from. I actually got some gaming in on Saturday night, with a game of Dogs in the Vineyard. I taped the session for play over at 2d6feet, and I hope even some of it was useable. It really want people to get a sense of the character generation system. I really think that's where the game shines.

Anywho, hope y'all had a good Labor Day. I labored, but it was fun seeing people, and I think we really helped make the con a little better for everyone, which really makes me happy.

Hooray!

Onto Total War...

2006-08-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is a post I wrote, and ripped it off from the CBT fourms. Sorry, I get lazy:

First and foremost I wanted to thank the folks at the FanPro booth to take a moment when it was super busy to say hi, and make me feel really welcome. I also was totally floored being invited into their "Author's Game" on Saturday night. If it hadn't been midnight, the fact I am old, and that I had to get up early to check out of my hotel, I would have dived in no holds bared. So, thanks again guys...you made the trip to Indy worth it.

So, the book. I am gonna say here and now, I haven't read the whole thing. I am also not terribly interested in how the minutia has changed, or what have you, so I'll leave that for someone else to cover. I am more going to tell you guys how I plan on selling it to my customers. Those of you who evangelize the game to or for your local retailers might find some usefulness out of this. Feel free to ignore me, I am long winded Wink

Ok. This book is really nice looking. It has dropped BT firmly into modern times, with modern print quality. I am sad that it is going to be in my store late, but I will say here and now" "Screw it, it will be worth it." Y'all know the page count, and the fact that it is hard cover. This book should cost more. (Aw hell, now I opened the flood gates...but whatever). I know printing, and I know printing costs. I cannot imagine FanPro is making much off this book. I would readily recommend you upgrade. It really isn't like buying the BMR, and then the BMR (revised). This is a whole new ball of wax. I would suggest it not only for the rules updates, but for the User Interface of the book itself. The index is deep and really usable. By comparison, the Privateer Press release at the show; Warmachine: Superiority didn't even have an index (and was softcover for only $5 less). Seriously. It's a total overhaul.

The first twenty-ish pages of the book are awesome. This was the part that seriously renewed my faith that FanPro gets the fact they simply cannot continue to cater the hard-core base, but make new players feel welcome as well. These first pages manage to give an incredibly comprehensive view on what BT is, where to find support materials, the basics of the history, and the basics for play. HOORAY! Now _that_ is something I really hoped would pan out for the best, and it has. I know many of these pages were up as PDF previews, but the way they tie into the book is really nicely done.

The "examples of play" illustrations are the best I have seen in a BT product, and totally on par with some of the larger minis games out there. They are crisp, clear, and really make sense. I have been playing BT since 1984, and the "blocking terrain" illo made me truly understand it for the first time. (Stop laughing).

Ok, to sum this long rambling thing up: As a retailer carrying Wahammer 40k, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Confrontation, Flames of War, Infinity: The Game, and Dark Age...I have a tool to get people excited about BT. I still stand firm that at it's core, this is not an Introductory product, but it will do as one until we can get something a little more suited to beginners.

I can't recommend enough pre-ordering through your local shop. Even if they don't carry the game, showing it to the owner might be enough to get them to carry one for the shelf. I throw a lot of props out to FanPro for bringing BT into the next generation. They did a really good job on this book.

Holy crap, I am tired...

2006-08-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have a ton to say about Gencon. But this is one of the most awesome things I have read about it yet. From the comments section of Mike Mearls' blog:

"Both Agon and Burning Empires were held up at work today as examples of the cool RPG stuff at GenCon. The Forge booth was (accurately) identified as, 'This is the place to look for cool new games.'"

I dunno if you all can grasp how excited I am that the folks at WoTC are paying attention to the games coming out of the Forge community. I know people are sick of D&D 4e rumor mongering. I kinda am too. But what I will say, is this. Mike Sugarbaker and I were talking about what WE would like to see whenever that new edition hits. I came to the conclusion that I would like to see 3.5 stay in print. Let it be the crunchy rules heavy game it currently is. Sales indicate people like it, the RPGA runs it, D&D minis has an engine derived out of it. Honestly, it's all good. Just keep selling it.

Then, for the rest of us, make 4th ed. a rules lighter story driven game. You can even call it something else, a sub-brand of D&D...I don't care. But lets use the marketing power and money of Hasbro to give us a product that we can use to bring even more people into the hobby.

I am clear...I am not making sense. That's why I have been waiting to post on Gencon, so that I am not so wiped out. But HooRAY! Seriously.

More later, including my first impressions on FanPro's Total War, and the hope I have stemming from it.

I made it to White Castle...

2006-08-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

and I didn't even need to ride a cheetah.

Two podcasts, no waiting!

2006-08-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

So, many of you already know that I am a regular member over at the OgreCave Audio Report. It's been a year now, and I think we have dome some really quality work. Being that the show tends to be somewhat heavily industry focused, I really wanted a podium (yes podium. Ok, maybe apple crate) to get behind and start talking about actual play, gaming theory and all that nonsense.
Now, being that I am a games retailer, I can't help but let the industry news sneak right into the new show, so it will happen.

What is this new show I speak of? It's called 2d6 Feet in a Random Direction. We have our first show up, and the next two in the can. I am taping it with my buddy Brian Isikoff, and I am quite happy with how it's turning out.

What's that all mean? I dunno. Nothing I suppose. But you will see all my Gencon coverage over there, rather than here. This is still my rant zone, so if I have something to rant about, and it involves Gencon, well...that goes here. It's all very confusing in theory, but should make sense in practice, right? I sure hope so. Anywho, look for gencon photos and reports over at 2d6feet.com. I am excited. It's my first Gencon!

The Mantle has been passed...

2006-08-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today, my 13 year old schooled me at Galaga. Sniff...that's my boy!

Buried in my hobbies...

2006-08-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

As I get older, my life is changing. That may seem and sound obvious...but when you are in the middle of it, it really takes some effort to step back and notice it. I don't have hardly any free time anymore that isn't taken up with family or work. My days off are usually more hectic and fatiguing than my days at work. I am constantly distracted, and really don't have much of a chance to sit and concentrate for long periods of time. My hobbies are suffering to the nth degree due to it. Why? Most of my hobbies require at least some "quiet time." Painting, reading, what have you get really, seriously challenging when you have a 3 year old Moose like mine tearing through the house...or a 13 year old who needs a certain degree of hand holding to to get his school work and such done. I am not complaining, I am just starting to understand where my limitations lie.

Pardon me, I had to stop for a brief tickle attack on the Moose.

I think a lot of gamers my age are facing very similar issues. Time is scarce. That kinda leads to the real point of this post: As a gamer, I am finding keeping up is getting harder and harder. I am interested in SO many of the things coming out right now, but only have time for a scant few. I would kill to be in a regular Dogs game, or dabble in The World of Darkness. Maybe run a Shadowrun Campaign...or play in some True20. That doesn't even scratch the surface of attending to all the minis I own..unpainted and unloved. I have been trying to make more time to paint, but as I get busy with other things, painting get shelved. Any progress I make in terms of skill and speed needs to be relearned constantly. In this time, more and more minis come out that excite me, and I feel more and more behind. Now, I have found myself playing more board games. I am totally starting to see the appeal of opening up a box, learning some rules and being able to finish in a night.

I think as a whole, that is where our "industry" is at. SO much new product on a weekly basis that your average gamer must be feeling overwhelmed. More product makes it harder and harder for companies to do business as they always have. Some are shutting down. Others are trying to innovate, and find new models and methods of getting product in front of people. But damn, do I personally feel lost in my own sinkhole of interests. I have really been evaluating my own time in the hobby of late, and it may be time to do a purge. I can't play with all the minis I own..so maybe it's time to unload them. Will I really have a chance to touch my Battle Fleet Gothic minis again? Seriously doubtful. My Mordheim? Even less likely. Flames of War? Maybe...

I just have to wonder if anyone in the industry sees it? Maybe. The lack of CCGs coming out leads me to believe that someone has noticed something. Then I look at companies like Rio Grande. Holy crap...when are they going to realize that they need to retire some of the backlist, and slow down with the front list. I guess I dunno if I do have a point for this post. It's coming across kinda ramble-y. I just hope the industry sees where this might be heading if I am not alone. The "corrections" we are facing are long from over.

The Moose needs Juice. I am out.

We lost a friend....

2006-07-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday July, 26 we lost a member of our local gaming community. Britt Daniel was a staple feature in gaming around the Bay Area for years, and years. At age 39, he had been playing games for at least 30 of those years and was well versed in the hobby. He had an eclectic taste in his minis and RPGs, and a deep knowledge of both. He had so many friends within in small community, and I know he will be missed. There is a touching eulogy over at 1000 Buffalo by Brian Isikoff. I encourage you to read it.If Britt had any charities or organizations he favored, please contact me so that I might get those details posted here. To the friends and family (and there were many), we offer our sincerest regrets. Britt will be missed.

Thank you GamesWorkshop!!!

2006-07-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

In his 2006 "why we are sucking wind in terms of profitablility, but don't really have a clear explaination of why" preamble, the Chairman of GW lays it out as to why the FLGS is suffering:

"On the 'investor relations' section of our corporate web site (which has all our annual reports since 2001, and the institutional presentations we make) there is a place where people can post questions for me to answer. Mostly they are about what new models we are planning (read White Dwarf), or why we haven't got a store in Omaha, Nebraska (yet), or why we put our prices up all the time (we don't) but every now and then I get one that touches on something that needs to be explained. Blair Svendson from Missouri asked '[why am I] seeing my favorite independent hobby stores going out of business?'. He was referring to the United States, and so is my response. This is a question that concerns all of us at Games Workshop - staff, managers, customers and owners. I'm not certain I know THE answer, but I have an explanation that fits the facts. Most of these small owner-manager hobby stores have thrived over the last 20 years or so on role play games, collectible card games (CCGs) and niche merchandise from fantasy movie imagery. Role play games and movie merchandise are in decline; CCGs can now be bought in mass market outlets which hurts hobby store sales. Many of these stores carry our products very successfully, but they are not enough to support the whole store. Additionally many of these stores are run as lifestyle enterprises rather than as for profit businesses; when times get hard they sometimes respond slowly and weakly which can be, and has been in many cases, disastrous."

If you wanna read all of the awesome that is this post, go here:
Teh Hawesome
Man, if it weren't for GW products, we would have all been flat out in the cold years ago. Whew.

(Sorry, I am in a snarky mood this AM.)

DJ Vader

2006-07-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just gotta watch the Lord of the Sith scratch...

Hounds of the lord...

2006-07-16T00:40:00.000-07:00

I want to say, really quick, before I go to bed.

I LOVE DOGS IN THE VINEYARD.

So Much! Thanks to Carl Rigney for teaching me the game, and running a fantastic first session.

More when I haven't just put in a 16 hour day.

Why I like Battlefront...

2006-07-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

(This was posted elsewhere, but I thought I was brilliant so I reposted it here. (Ok, you are right, I am not only brilliant, but lazy. I have been meaning to say this for a while. Hooray Lazy!)

I am going to step out on a limb here, and say I am a pretty big proponent of the line (Flames of War), even though the discount blows goats.

1) It introduces historicals to kids in a very consumer friendly way. We have had some of the 40k kids buy some FoW stuff over the past year. That gives me a more palatable option for some of the kids who may not a) really have the cash for a full 1850pt space marine army, b) a more comprehensive simple game system to teach them, than we currently have with 40k.

2) Older gamers who have left gaming (fed up with 40k, wandered off for no good reason, etc) are finding this game, and _it is bringing them back to gaming_. That is huge in my mind. More players in gaming (especially ones with disposable income) = A'OK in my book.

3) Historicals gamers like the models. No not all of them, and many dislike the blah blah blah nature of the rules, but I now have historicals customers back in the store. Even occasionally. And the they find things like Warhammer Ancients, and our modeling tools. We have a couple loyal customers who work with us first to try and Special order their esoteric minis, before they order online.

4) I personally like the company. I like Jean-Paul, and I like his main sales guy Chris Frye. My personal opinion, not really looking for an argument.

5) I think in tandem, Battlefront and Privateer have made such an impact in GW, that I (finally) am starting to see some advanced steps from GW into improving some things wrong in their business process. Who knows, both GW and BF may only end up shooting themselves in the foot, but they are causing each other to do some very interesting things.

So basically, in a way roundabout fashion, I think more than anything Battefront is making some sweeping changes, that aren't solely in sales of it's own game. I dunno if they even mean to be doing it, but after a few conversations, I am pretty sure they do. So, I am willing to take a short discount on a game that is having that much positive impact. Whew. I'll shut up now.

Some days teh Internets is not your friend...

2006-07-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Man oh man, sometimes I love me my Internets. And sometimes I hate me some Internets. This week is the later. As this is my own Personal Rant Zone^TM,, I feel that it is totally ok to vent on the suck-age of teh Internets, on my blog...and not come off as hypocritical. So there.

I just have been dealing with drama after drama this week. And you know what, _not a single one_ of these dramas would have occurred face to face. Not one. Why? Ya'll now all about the anonymity of the Internets...so, I will just attribute it to total suck-age. There, I said it. As far as I am concerned, teh Internets sucks this week.

On another note, I played Funny Friends by Friedemann Friese, yesterday. Aside from the fact that it has some fairly adult themes, it is one of the best party games I have played in ages. I can't recommend it enough. So that was good.

Time for some props giving...

2006-06-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

I really haven't read them yet (and have no idea when I will), but dayum. The folks at Battlefront, who produce Flames of War have sent out their "freebee set of rules" for the 2nd edition of the game. What they have decided to do is give anyone and everyone who owns a first edition set of rules, a trade paperback sized set of the new 2nd edition, 100% free. All you will need to do is bring your rulebook to your local retailer, they will stamp your first ed. book, and hand you this brand spanking new edition of the game...fer free. Yes, free. This is full color, on magazine grade stock, and fully ready to get you playing. It's 164 pages, all the rules, lots of art, photos, and...yes once again, full color. It even has an index. You will also be able to buy a full on hardcover right around Gencon...so that's where you can find your fluff, etc. Free. Yes, I said it again. Free.

Now, you have heard me rant on "devaluation of product" many, many times in the past. I should be mad about this one, right? Nope, quite the contrary. This little freebee is some of the finest marketing I have seen in ages within our "industry." These folks know they make all their dough on figures...so why not keep people playing the game? Hand them some rules, get them excited...boom. Everyone is happy.

These should be in your FLGS hand's 7/6/06. Serioulsy, if you feel inclined, give a nod to battlefront. This was a realy nice, and smart thing to do.

Ya, maybe not such a good idea...

2006-06-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

So, I am running the Shab-Al-Hiri Roach at our July 15th Minicon. This story here, makes me wonder if this is such a good idea:
Read it, and be afraid.

All I can say is WOW...

2006-06-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you forget...

2006-06-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

You know, I suck. I really don't mention enough how lucky I am. I am doing this today from something I read in Wil Wheaton's Blog the following:

"Selecting my really geeky T-shirts was much more fun, and I realized that my wardrobe is essentially one huge shipment from Think Geek. Somehow, I managed to land myself a wife who is not only hot, smart, and puts up with me, but is also cool with the fact that her 33 year-old husband would rather wear the shirt, or The Shirt, than the stuff the rest of our adult friends wear."

I read this as I was wearing my shirt that has a squirrel holding a stick above a caption that reads, "Protect you nuts." So, thanks to Wil for putting in writing, what I should be saying way more often. My wife's hard work, determination, and job allow me to have a game store, to wear shorts and a T-shirt with an "Irate squirrel" on it, and well...a million other things. So, ya...what Wil said, and a whole lot more.

I love you Toni!

Happy Father's Day!

2006-06-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have the best family ever. My Father's day consists of: getting to sleep in, having breakfast from my favorite Mexican restaurant brought to me at home, sitting and building miniatures, and the first play of this season's California Shakespeare Festival. Does it get any better than that. No. It doesn't. Really.

Anywho, Happy Father's Day to all you father's out there.

In light of my last post...

2006-06-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Things that make doing what I do easier:

A person comes in the store today, and really takes his time looking around. I have gotten very good at spotting a first timer in the store, who is also clearly a hobby gamer. I made sure he felt welcome, and offered help a few times (without giving the hard sell ^tm). As he was making his purchase, I made sure to ask him if he found everything ok. Without hesitation, and a BIG grin he said, 'Oh yes! I have to say, this is easily the nicest game store I have ever been to in the 20 years I have been gaming.'

We talked some more, and he left smiling. That'll keep ya going for a while. :)

Things you learn owning a Game Store

2006-06-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Things you learn owning a Game Store

My store has lots and lots of dedicated play space. Maybe more than most in the area. We run weekly events, and also some special ones too. One of the hardest things to get off the ground is a new event. We find that it takes at least two months if it is a weekly event, and maybe longer if it occurs only occasionally. Maybe this is because we have a very dense amount of stores in the area..maybe it's how people handle their personal schedules. And really, that's the point of the post. I always feel bad when we run an event that draws one person. They end up by sitting around, and essentially wasting their time. I see it an entirely different way, as they are there showing _other people_ who have showed up for other reasons, something they are interested in. I am clear this takes some amount of social skills and willingness to talk to strangers...and that isn't easy for some gamers...but I think I am digressing.

I think the thing that bums me out the most, and which doesn't always motivate me to push for new and different events is this conversation:

Person: "yeah, wow..I wish we had more people here."
Me: "I agree, but we continue to push people to our forums, help schedule the events, and make the introductions for like minded people..."
Person: "Yeah, I know, I just wish we had more people."

At which point it's clear they are looking to me to solve that problem. Sadly, I have no more control over people's free time, or choice of how they are using it than..well, they do. I always wish I could magically make eight people show up to sanction the magic event, I always wish there was a fourth person to play that second game of 40k...but sometimes that just isn't in the cards, and someone is disappointed. I totally understand it...don't get me wrong. I wanna jump up and down and clarify how much of my week goes to marketing initiatives...but really, that's not the right thing to do. So I smile and try and comfort...question is, who does that for me ;)

I suppose thats what blogs are for, hunh?

Drink yo' Milk, Stay in Scho'!

2006-05-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mr. T!

True20...

2006-05-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have finally had some down time to read through some of my True20. I like it. I am not terribly good at writing reviews that spotlight mechanics at all, as the rules tend to drop right out of my head as I read them. So, what I will simply say is that the main appeal this book has for me is the rules look like they will "step out of the way in favor of story." As you read this, there will be an episode of the Ogrecave Audio Report ready for your listening pleasure. There, I discuss play style vs. rules. My personal case against D20 is how structured the rules set becomes...there are some mechanics that just plain need to be there, and man do I trip over them. True 20 seems to remove a lot of the crunch, and allow for rules to flavor the structure of the game you are playing...but not overwhelm it.

All in all a big thumbs up.

Oh, and if this doesn't make sense, have a listen to the podcast taped April 13, 2006, I think it will make things a little clearer.

Why I do what I do...

2006-05-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

The title says it all, and it's time to lay it out.

This stems from a post on someone's blog that totally ticked me off. It was directed at my store, and in conjunction, directed at me. Ya see I left a very high paying job in tech a couple years back to take co-ownership in a game store. (I think the pay cut was a factor of 6 if my math is close.)

Why?

Well, clearly it wasn't for the money. Anyone thinking we do this for a fat pay-out is seriously, and sadly mistaken. I did it for one reason only. I want gaming to survive and grow.

It sure seems fashionable now a days to bag on your local game store. Maybe it's because they don't carry "your" games. Maybe it's because they charge full price. Maybe it's because you simply don't think there needs to be game stores anymore. I couldn't care less about points one and two. Let's shoot straight at number three.

Regarding number three: You are wrong. I believe that so vehemently that I gave up one career that paid damn good money to help support a community I believe in. Many of you who cavalierly say game stores are relics of the past sure have it thought through. Anyone of you ever sell (or give for that matter) a kid his first set of dice? Maybe teach him how to paint his first miniature? Doubtful...cause then you might understand the choice I made in pursuing this new career. We aren't interested in just supporting gaming as it is...why would we be? We want it to _grow_. Growth = health. Health = we all have more fun in the long run. Is that so wrong? Or perhaps it's really important to be cool and different just to spite that growth? Who knows...

There is sure a strong schism in this hobby we all share, and it's that belief that we aren't sharing the same hobby.

Bullshit.

Whether it be a copy of Rifts, Dogs in the Vineyard, D&D 3.5, Warhammer 40,000, Puerto Rico, Chess...we are all sharing the common hobby of social gaming. This hobby/lifestyle/pursuit/ call it what you will has a VERY common thread: It's about people getting together and sharing something. Why do we have to challenge that assumption constantly?

And like it or not, game stores are a part of this hobby. We are the recruiting centers, and the public faces to bring more people in. I couldn't care less if you wanna stamp your feet all day long and scream about the fact that the internet alone is enough to keep gaming strong and healthy.

Bullshit.

Every single god damn day, I work my ass off to make sure the SF Bay Area gaming crowd has a clean well lit place to come and share something they enjoy with other people. I pay a third of my rent on space to allow people to congregate and share something they enjoy. I order small indie titles (in all aspects of the hobby including Miniatures, RPGS, Boardgames, ect), often times at a margin I can barely afford to keep the doors open on, just so that my local gaming community will get exposure to things they _may not know to search out on the internet._ Yes, I make some money in the process. But I give back. I make sure that the kids are exposed to a valuable hobby. I help people who have left the hobby re-enter it in a very comfortable way. I even deal with the jaded, bitter gamers who think I am ripping them off by selling things at full price with my best fake smile. Why? Cause like it or not, they are part of the hobby I am working _my ass off_ to keep alive and strong.

I am perfectly comfortable with you all calling "bullshit" on me as much as you want. I have put my blood, sweat, and tears behind my beliefs. I am not going to hide behind the internet with these opinions. You are more than welcome to come talk to me about them. You know where to find me. I'm on the front lines, trying to help the community grow and flourish. That's really all I am trying to do. Be nice to see some of you come down off your ivory towers, and do the same.

Rant off.

A little research never hurts...

2006-05-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Looks like something smart might be happing in that little thing we like to call a "Gaming Industry." From gaming report: "Ohio State University's School of Communication, in partnership with GAMA and The Wargamer, are undertaking one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of hobby game players ever conducted."

I rant on and on about no one doing research in the gaming industry. Well, here is our chance. if you feel inclined, please take the survey!

A world filled with Science!

2006-04-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Owning and running a game store, I have yet one more thing to thank science for.

Beans!

The Hordes are upon us!

2006-04-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of the event as we speak...buy ho boy! People are so excited, and having a blast. Just a little visual of how many people we had for the launch day event:

What weird stuff you can Digg...

2006-04-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

I found this trolling through stories posted on Digg. It's a whole story on the development of the Zoccihedrion.

For some reason I just find that weird and amusing that one of the most useless gaming accessories has it's own Wikipedia entry. That either makes Wikipedia even cooler...or more dumb.

And we're back....

2006-04-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have been both busy and tired. I think they kinda went hand in hand...so it all works out in the end. Highlights of the past couple weeks include:
- Our April 1, mini-con. That was good times. We had Dogs in the Vineyard, Polaris, Mountain WItch, Fudge (my favorite game), Unknown Armies, and more all take off without a hitch. 15 role-playing games, and 55 players. We are doing it again on July 15th due to the overwhelmingly positive response. I want to thank our partners at RPG.net for driving a bunch of new people in the store.
- Playing lot's of Pirates. OK, I am hooked. I really, really enjoy this game. I doubted I would right up to the release of South China seas...and them, WHAM! Hooked me with the Junks. There is now no turning back. Sigh...a money sink from hades. Ah well.
- Starships! Speaking of money sinks, I have been buying fleets of starship minis to run through Starmada X. I am, and have always been a starship nerd. I have managed to find out many of my friends are also starship nerds. If I have my way, I am going to try Federation Commander this weekend.
- El Guapo! I have picked up some minis for the Legends of the Old West game. I felt I REALLY needed some Mexican Banditos. The more humorous fact was that the best Mexican minis came from...England. Go figure. Those are on their way as we speak.

So, onto a larger subject. I have played with "experts" for a majority of my gaming career. What I mean by that is people who are _really_ into a game. Like crazy into it. Like wayyyyy more into it than I wanna be. So, when I play with them, it's generally not a great experience for any of us. I don't really care about rules other than what I need to know to get by, and really don't care about committing that sort of minutia to resident memory. (I need that room for more important things like door knob operation, toilet flushing, and walking up and down curbs successfully.) Out of no where, I have not only found a group of people really interested in a variety of games, but who are also not committed to any one of them. Having a group of dabblers is really heathy for me. I can really enjoy having a bunch of fun games in my repertoire, and not have to study them...I can just play. It's been very refreshing.

Along those same lines, I have really taken that concept of dabbling into my painting as well. I am not a great painter, but a serviceable one. I even had a mini show up in White Dwarf "in my yoof." That said, in all my years as a minis painter, I never really learned how to mass produce minis for "table-top" quality paint jobs. I would have to fiddle and futz with a mini until it was done to my perfectionist standards...and it left me staring down the barrel of endless painting queues. That lead me (lead me...rim-shot please) to really curtail my gaming, as I also didn't like playing with unpainted minis. (See the cycle of crazy?) That's all changing. I am really working on just painting, getting it done, and moving onto the next one. I will post some pics of my results of a test I am working through. Now that I posted this, it means I have to finish ;)

Anywho...I think really, thats about it for now...

Mood: The Dude is tired, and bewildered.

Stupid Facts...

2006-04-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday of this week,
at two minutes and three seconds after 1 o'clock
the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

Woo!

I am SO lazy...

2006-03-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

So, this is just a cut and past of a post I made at the Gaming industry Network forums. I SO owe the folks at Wotc some nice words on the way Dreamblade plays, and I will get to it as soon as I can. It was REALLY fun. I liked it...more to come. Here are my Good, Bad, and Uglies of GTS 2006

----------
My turn. I should have done this earlier, but I did so much blogging at the show, I burned myself out. As I enjoy looking at the crappier things first, here goes:

Ugly:
- Getting up at 4am monday morning to catch a 6.30am flight, which you changed so you could get to vegas on Monday specifically to see the Dreamblade announcement. Then seeing the announcement, which I must honestly say was one of the worst product introductions I have ever personally seen at a professional trade show.

Bad:
- The Riv. Being that it's on the slate for demolition in the next couple years, and the management obviously knew we weren't coming back, it felt like they had flat out given up on us. I was also sad to not see some people at the show I was hoping to see there: Indie Press Revolution, Reaper, and honestly GW. I know they want to be their own hobby, but being an Island in a pond is sure dumb.
- I think Rackham's plans for OP and such are far too little far too late. I also have a sense that they are just approving the die hard fan-boys for their Sentinel program...which IMHO was the same thing WK did at the beginning of the envoy program, and that didn't always go so hot either. The silent folding of Rag N'Rok into Confrontation within the catalog also shows that is essentially a dead item...
- The AT-43 models were totally underwhelming to me as well. Odd that it's going to be a pre-painted game to street at Christmas, yet all the way into March the only examples they have are grey plastic. Doesn't bode well for an on-time 2006 launch.
- This has been brought up before, but I think there are just too many board-games coming out. And on this note, I simply _hate_ how Fantasy Flight gives away a copy of their latest and greatest. I dunno about the rest of you, but I was fairly busy a majority of the time at the show. Waiting in line for 2 hours to get a $50 game is just unacceptable waste of valuable time. If this is the only way they can come up with to give away demo copies of a game, I am happy to skip demoing their games in store...The same could be said for the dinners and the resultant lines, but others have already covered that.
- Finally: The food. I am a snob, and by Weds I was getting a little ill from the food. That's just me...

The Feh:
- I had oodles of problems with the on-site wireless. Made answering email, etc a real challenge.

The Good:
- Getting an email from the PR folks working with WoTC hours after I blogged a very negative commentary on the Dreamblade presentation, asking me to come for a one on one demo of the game. I was totally impressed how important they felt negative viral marketing could be for them, and they wanted a second chance. Huge props there. I played the game with my partner Aaron (who lost like a big chump!), with John Tweet showing us the ropes. I actually enjoyed the game quite a bit, and think it has a place...unless it gets ruined by the massive push for OP they are wrapping around it.
The show felt busier this year. I felt like I had more to see and more people to talk to. Breaking up the exhibit hall was fantastic from my point of view. I never once felt closed in, or unable to get at people.
- I give mad props to the folks at Your Move Games. They gave one of the best presentations of everyone during the whole show, telling us about Battlegrounds. We stock this game, and I like it...and they really "sold" the game well during dinner.
- I was pretty happy with WoTC's Year of the Dragon presentation. They have some very strong stuff coming up, and I was happy to see D&D coming back again this year.
- The Battlefront guys have a very solid plan with Flames of War and how they are releasing the new version of the rule-book. The trade-in policy is fantastic, and should shut even the cheapest gamer's pie hole right up. Moving into late-war is a good move.
- GF9 has some wonderful "gamer bling" on the horizon. We are stocking even more of their items than in the past.
- I was VERY happy to see Perplexcity get some buzz. We have had it for a little while now, and I am happy to see more of you getting excited about it.
- Staying at Paris rather than the Riv. A couple people met me for food there, and they commented on how much nicer it was than the Riv. The move to Bally's is incredibly strong. I just hope it's not too late...
- Finally Wizkids. Over the past two years, I have been a pretty vocal nay-sayer on the WK product lines. For the longest time, we stocked only pirates, and nothing with a clicky base. I walked into this years small retailer seminars feeling like I had been listened to last year. They have made some seriously strong moves for us retailers in the past year, and it sounds like it will get even better this year and next. I also think that the Great Cthulhu stole a lot of the Colossal Red Dragons thunder at the show....so, I wanna thank WK here and now for listening.

The Awesome:
- The new Battletech relaunch could have a lot of legs. I know Fanpro has a lot of stuff in the queue, and some hurdles to jump...but this is the strongest move for my favorite game in over a decade. The galley's showed that the new "Total War" book will put BT in line with almost any other modern minis rule book. Full color throughout, good examples of play, nice photography, and if they can get it in the $39.99 price point they are hoping to...it could really invigorate the game. (Crosses fingers.)
- Coming in 2nd at the GTS Poker tourney! I want to thank ABC NW, Gamestation.net and Eagle Games for holding such a fun, well managed event. I had never done a "live" poker tourney before, and this was a thrill. Many thanks again, and congrats to the person who beat me head to head, when I went all in on a "Brunson." I was stressed enough that I didn't even catch his name. ;) I should especially thank Rob and John for gathering all the bounties I won, and shipping it back to their warehouse with their booth. We were on the plane before the exhibit hall opened, and would not have been able to do it ourselves.

Thats about it I think. I am sure I missed a lot...

AT-43 No one escapes war...

2006-03-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Or gooby ass looking mechs, either.

Here are some shots of the Rackham AT-43 minis. Supposedly, these will be _pre-painted_, and due out at Christmas. That's about all they had to say. I find it kinda humorous that the game will be out in about 9 months, but they didn't have painted minis for GTS. Hmmmm.....

Look Ma, a Dragon!

2006-03-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the big poppa...the picture is pretty crappy, but ho BOY is it cool in person!

More on GTS Tuesday

2006-03-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here I sit, in Vegas at 10.04pm in my Jammies. I just plain wore myself out today, and had to come back tot he hotel room to lay down. I have a seriously bad back, and the amount of walking I am doing isn't so hot for it...I am old, and suck. Sigh.

Anyway.

After the Dragon breakfast, we then immediately went into a meeting with the folks at Wizkids. If you know me, or have listened to me speak of them on the OC Podcast, I haven't had a lot of love for them in the past. IMHO, the way their organized play works, it breeds selfish prize-hounds, whose only interest is in free crap. They have little interest in providing a good game for their opponents. But over the past few months, Wizkids has been winning me over. They have really been incentivizing players to buy from Brick and Mortar stores, are offering all new lines at full returnability, and most importantly: they seem to be listening. This is the second year EndGame has participated in one of these meetings, and last year we were pretty upfront about our dissatisfaction. I was impressed when their head marketing guy said he was pleased to see us at the meeting again this year, as part of his introduction. We spent a couple hours talking about what we needed from WK to be successful witht heir lines. Now, the disapointing fact was that maybe 60% of this was dominated by stores discussing the freebies and prize crap from their organized play...but 40% seemed darn useful. They are really showcasing Horror Clix here at the show, and announced "Toon Clix." I was told about it at this meeting, but kept my mouth shut until they made their offical announcement at their dinner tonight.
I should mention I like Jordan Wiesman. Not just 'cause he created my most favorite game ever (Battletech), but because he is pretty much a no bullshit type of guy. I asked him directly if their market research and focus groups had indicated it was time to jump back into the Clix market. He got quiet for a second, fumbled with the answer for a second, then said straight up: 'To be honest, I got pissed off at Gencon. WoTC was doing more in a market we invented than we were, and I got fucking pissed off.' So, not really the best market research, but a healthy dose of honesty goes a long way with me.
I want to play the demo deck of the BSG CCG I was given, and will try and do so soon.

After that, it was time for the feeding frenzy that is the exhibit hall. I must admit, by noon I was getting pretty fatigued, so it is kinduv a big blur. I ran into many of the people I wanted to talk to right away. (Mr. Pramas, thank you for stepping aside and chatting. I am bummed to this moment I missed that podcast...and cheers for the announcements made today!) I think I am bound to do that thing where you forget to thank your wife during your awards speech, so I will just say that I met with a bunch of people that I was glad to see.

After one more meeting, it was time for me to retreat back to my room. I missed some things I wanted to see, but knew that if I didn't, tomorrow would be even worse. I wish I could say I saw the most exciting things ever today, but I didn't. I am kinda glad for that. I am more than happy if the industry takes a year to figure out what it's doing with itself, without losing it's mind. Ya know, I think I am going to take that back. There was one exciting thing: an utter lack of new CCGs. There may have been a couple, but not the volume that was there this time last year. Maybe people are actually figuring out we are in the middle of a serious glut, and have decided not to add to it. So, perhaps, old dogs can learn new trick...if you beat the crap out of them with a newspaper....

The Year of the Dragon...

2006-03-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

This morning's Year of the Dragon presentation by Wizards of the Coast was MUCH better than last night's "announcement." (See, I told them, they could do better.) They are pretty serious about the whole Dragon thing, and oodles of stuff is coming down the pipe in 2006 with just that fiery butter-ness. Some things I really was pleased about:

- The add-on to the Basic set will come with a full Player's handbook and a free set of plastic D&D minis on the first run as an incentive for new players to try it. That's a $13 value, and a fine idea. This is something I really will try and sell to parents as an add-on to the basic set. It has me really excited.

- This ties directly into the fact that they are going to spend an assload of money marketing to "new players". They are actively trying to bring new people into D&D. That I applaud, and as a store owner hope to help with in any way I really can.

- There is a hard cover art book on dragons called "The Practical Guide to dragons." It will be $29.99 and have some short stories as well. This is aproduct not only for D&D players, but anyone interested in Dragons and Fantasy art.

- The Players Handbook II and Monster Manual IV are coming...and will be much of the same as they predecessors.

- The Big D&D minis are called D&D: Icons. I saw (and have a picture of) the colossal Red dragon. It is beautiful. I will post the picture as soon as I can get to my cable.

- Worldwide D&D Day 2005 was even more successful than 2004. That means we get another one in 2006. That's pretty cool.

- Not mentioned much, but on a slide was a book called "Expedition to Castle Ravenloft". (Oh hell yes).

- Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hickman are collaborating on their first D&D book in ages, and it will be: dragon themed.

I am sure there was more, but those are the key points. I think this could be a very good year for the game. I left feeling pretty excited.

Dreamblade....

2006-03-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

Or: How not to make a presentation at a trade show.

So yeah, they spent the majority of this 20 min presentation talking about O.P. on a game that is yet to be released...but let's not start there. Dreamblade is the new 40mm TMG from Wizards of the Coast. It will debut at Gencon Indy (big surprise), so here is what I was told. The player will take the role of a "Dreamlord", who then pushes minis around the table like in, um every other miniatures game. When they did talk about the game for like 3 seconds, they seemed to want to push the aspect that the game was "Fast and Speedy." They didn't exactly explain why...but it is speedy! They emphasized this fact because they have "Pro-Magic" players on staff as part of the R&D process. Yes, that makes it speedy.
Another random point they wanted to make, but just came off as really unclear, is that the game is designed such that even against great odds, a player can make a "comeback" (even the title of the slide) in the last turn to take the game...

So yeah.

The game itself was designed by John Tweet, and uses proprietary 6 sided dice. 5 of the 6 sides are regular, but the 6th is a blade. Rolling blades triggers the special effect on the model, which (seemed) to be defined on either a card, or maybe on the base. Who knows.

The game has 4 factions: Fear, Passion, Madness and Valor. I would try and explain what those mean...but they didn't really explain it. Maybe if I had more to drink, I would make something up...
Now the one interesting thing is that the "Warbands" you create, can be cross faction. This does allow for any random booster to be valuable to all players. That's maybe the one keen thing they did talk about.

So then they spent the whole rest of the time pimping Organized play. Did you know that WoTC invented OP? Well, they think they did, and made a bunch of mention about it...woo yea! I would go into it, but honestly, I don't care. Perhaps if they hgad a real game here that people would care about, they wouldn't have to pay people off with $500k in tounrament money in the first season.

They then got to the advertising portion of the presentation...where they proudly proclaimed that "Marketing isn't that important right now...we can talk about that with you all in the booth." Uh...yeah.

So, is this post confusing? Yes, but honestly, if you heard the same presentation, you would also understand that I spent some time organizing it for them. It was HORRIBLE. Totally uninformative, poorly presented, and really, underwhelming. They did give us a "thing" that looks like a business card holder, but promptly didn't explain what it was. The rest of the evening has been booth babes tossing out free drink coupons, and T-Shirts. WoTC....you can SO do better than this, really, you can. Sigh...I need a drink, Thankfully I have a free coupon.

Check back here....

2006-03-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

I sure haven't been too vocal on the 'ole blog here of late. Sorry about that, work has had me slammed in a big way, then i come home and crash. That should all change next week. I am going to be blogging a bunch of stuff as I hear about it at the Gama Trade Show. Should be intresting to say the least...

So, "see you then!"

Out of the Box...

2006-02-28T18:32:00.000-08:00

Just a super quickie before my Battletech players arrive. Ken Hite made a really nice mention of us in his most recent Out of the Box column. So, thank you Ken, I only wish you had said Hi ;)
He mentions a Dogs in the Vineyard game run by Carl Rigney quite favorably in the article. That same gentleman will be running two sessions of Dogs at the store during our Mini Con. Drop by if you get a chance!

Thanks again, Ken!

Don't anybody move! A fuse is out....

2006-02-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today, one of my favorite actors past away. Normally, people passing that I don't know really doesn't affect me that much...Darren Mcgavin is different. "The Old Man", a character he played in "A Christmas Story" meant very much to me. I will miss him, a lot. Here's to you, Old Man...you finally have won your Major Award.

Two down, some to go...

2006-02-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

Well for now anyway. I am deep in the middle of Convention season. We were at the The Shield Conference from 2/10 - 2/12, then out at Dundracon from 2/17 - 2/20. On 3/3 we have a small Independent Warhammer Fantasy Battle Tourney (small meaning 80 players) that we are sponsoring in San Francisco. On the heals of that I head off to the Gama "Trade Show" (airquotes in full effect.) And finally our own RPG.net Mini Con on April Fool's Day.

Yeah.

To add a cherry on that Sunday, Yesterday, I spent a majority of my day preparing events for Kublacon on Memorial Day Weekend. I am a little conned out at this point...and there isn't really an eye to this storm coming up. My con experiences are generally a great source of amusement to the people I know, because I never seem to get a single game in, but have organized at least a hand-full of tournaments at each one I attend. I think at Dundracon I left at 7pm Saturday, and was out the backdoor loading dock right on the nose at 5.30pm Sunday. It's funny. I was talking with another store owner who was just attending the con rather than working at it. I asked her if she was planning on playing in any games. She told me that she found herself to be too much of a distraction during games. (After a brief moment of fearing I had managed to jump into a decent sized social faux pax somehow) She told me that she couldn't sit down at a table for 5 mins without someone coming up and wanting to talk to her. She didn't feel it was fair to the other players to have the game interrupted that often.

Hmm. That what was weird about DDC for me this year. Melly helped me nail it. See, I am only slightly an extrovert. If you are a fan of the Myers Briggs Personality test^tm, you should know I am only 6 points into my "E." I am pretty happy being around people, and then all of a sudden, I need to hide and recharge my batteries. When I am at a local con, I don't get that luxury. I have been working at a fairly popular store long enough now that I constantly run into people. Honestly, I am flattered that they wanna know what I think of the show, and want to tell me a little about what they are doing there. The only negative effect is, between the dealers room for 8 hours, and trips through the common areas, I am constantly in front of people. Sunday, I started to use the service hallways to stay out of the common areas, and left through them when it was time to go home. That may sound really ostentatious, but man was I a little more rested Sunday, than I was Saturday. Anywho, I suppose the main body of this post, is you learn something new about yourself all the time. I now really understand how my retailer position is going to affect my mental con preparations for the next foreseeable future. I love going to them, and now I know I just need to hide for a little while.

On a whole nother note, the game I saw played oodles at Dundra, was Battletstations. It got me interested in trying it. We shall see if I can make the time, considering the volume of games I have picked up of late...but we'll save that for the next post.

Neat stuff from Toy Fair...

2006-02-12T22:57:00.001-08:00

I found some photos from Toy Fair in New York.

Here is also a shot of the new Rocketville game from Avalon Hill.

Finally, it looks like we now know why the Basic Set has been out of print for so long....

I don't even play D&D minis, but sign me up for some dragons!!

All fer now, but pretty neat!
(Thanks to Figures.com for the pics)

Infinity: The Game...

2006-02-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

After my buddy Anthony was kind enough to help me pin some incredibly tiny parts onto my Pan Oceana minis, and a marathon build session to get the rest of the parts put together...I finally got to play Infinity: The Game. I give it two big thumbs up for sure. I think for quite a while I have been looking for something in terms of minis gaming that hasn't been out there. I have wanted something with super nice figures akin to the quality Rackham has been putting out for ages. Something skirmish, cause as I get older more is not necessarily better. Something Sci-fi, cause well..I like it. Something not overly complex, cause well..I don't like rules all that much. FInally I wanted it to be cinematic, cause I like my games to have a little flavor to them. I thought i was going to get that in Abberant's Rezolution game, but in the end, the figures stink on ice, and the rules-set was just plain not edited at all. Infinity has all the above and a tropical punch flavored juice box thrown in for good measure.

So far the game is only in quick start rules, as they are translating it from Spanish. Over time they have been adding more and more to these rules, and have done so in a very clean way. Generally, you are only going to have a handful of minis per side as the game stands now. I think I had 7 and my opponent (who was also teaching me the game) had 6. The game itself works off a d20, but has nothing to do with the "d20 system." Each player is given one "order" per figure on your team. Some figures also give additional specific orders. These orders are used to move a model in full run, move and fire, activate camo, etc. Even more interesting is the fact that you can devote all these orders to one single model. I liked the "eggs in one basket" type situation you can take chances with. It is also one of the new generation of minis games that isn't a simple "I go, you go, I go, you go" type model. Infinity also allows you to react to to what your opponent is doing. In some cases that might be trying to spot a figure using active camo (think Predator suit), shot back at someone shooting at you, or dodge out of the way of fire. The game itself is brutal, and straying away from cover usually means you go down fast. I think our demo only took about 30 mins.

I am really riding loose and fast with how I am describing the game. Hopefully I have done it some justice. In any case, if you live near a store selling and playing the game, try and get yourself a demo. I think you will enjoy it.

Least we forget...

2006-01-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

20 years ago today, 7 people gave their lives up in the pursuit of Space Exploration. Have a quick read through this article linked below. It is worth a few moments of your time, on a day where we should bow our heads and thank these people for their sacrifice.

7 Myths about the Challenger Explosion

In the end, these brave souls made their way to the heavens...

Time to reflect...

2006-01-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

Ya know, I don't say things like this enough, but it is sure a good time to be a gamer. I realized this the other afternoon as I was forcing myself to sit and look at my free time. I am one of those people that has FAR more interests than time, and occasionally I just like to sit and think about where my free time is going, and if I am using it in a way that makes me happy. Yeah, I was doing that thing again where I had WAY too much to do, little time to do it, so hence...i was doing none of it. So, I think I am down to focusing on the following hobbies in my (sad little) life:

1. Painting and building more minis. I have been doing this since I was a kid, and when I don't make it an obligation to myself, I have a blast. I am not bad at it, but am such a perfectionist, that I am SUPER slow. I am working to get over that, get some paint on the minis, and get some games in.

2. Reading more RPGs. I hate rules. I really do. I am always the jackass at the game who is a great role-player, but gets totally stymied once actual mechanics get involved. If I could get myself in a place to actually enjoy reading RPGs (even the rules parts of them), I think I would enjoy that aspect of gaming even more. So, that's on the list.

3. Work on Photography again. I have an awesome Digital SLR...I need to use it more...

So, I started this off by saying that this is a great time to be a gamer...then went on this rant about free time. Why? Because there is SO much out there right now. On the short list of minis games, if I had time for them all, I would be playing: Infinity, Warmachine (and the upcoming Hordes), Battletech and Starship Troopers. I currently have some of that on my painting table at home, and am trying my hardest not to have some of all of it there. Each of those games really hits me in different places. I wanna play them all! I can't think of another time in my gaming "career" that there have been that many good options...
In terms of Role-Playing...hot damn. I am in an every other week game, and we are jumping into the Iron Kingdoms. But heck, look at all the variety now: Dogs in the Vineyard, Iron Heros, Mountain WItch, Mutants and Masterminds. The inner unwashed geek in me just wants to throw a hallelujah out!

And that list only scratches the surface...what a GREAT time to be a gamer. I don't think I say stuff like that enough...

In the "Where the hell have you been" category...

2006-01-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

So, I just had the opportunity to play Fantasy Flight's Wings of War: Famous Aces. Boy is that a good time. In a nut shell, you take control of one of the more famous WWI type aircraft and go head to head against your opponent for some dog fighting goodness. You have cards which dictate your movement and you choose 3 cards per turn in advance. Then you keep them hidden as you both reveal each one similtaniously, one-by-one. Coming into range with each other forces the draw of one or two damage cards depending on how far away you are from each other. Your damage is also kept hidden from your opponent to keep 'em guessing. You keep spiraling in your dance of death until one of you shoots the other down. (Or manage to shoot each other down at the same time like happened last night).

It's a damn solid beer and pretzels game with little basis in reality (much to the chargin of my good friend - "The eh-Steve." A hint of his inner grognard jumped out last night, which was hillarious.) It takes no time to learn, and is just good, plain fun.

Fleeing the WizKids Tyranny, the latest CCG, Galatica...

2006-01-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am a little surprised at myself. For as much as I wanna like CCGs, I just don't. I don't like the deck building components, and the amount of study to know all the cards. I get creamed by subtle rules that I am just not ready to put into memory. Then comes the BSG CCG, and it looks like they have thrown a political component in there, and bam...you got me interested. I like political games. I don't get the chance to play them often, but I like 'em all the same. If they can really get in there that works...I may have to give it a shot. Wizkids has done nothing but surprise me this last year...and maybe they are gonna again?

Have a glance at the card here

Fundable.com sure sounds interesting.

2006-01-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

OK, I just came across a discussion on:

The Godlike RPG GM Screen

Seems like Arc Dream doesn't have enough cash on hand to get this thing printed, so they are asking people to pay up front in a no risk environment. Have a glance at the link for the actual deal.
So, I know Hex and Counter wargames have done something like this for years, but it is the technology involved that intrigues me. Not only that it makes it so easy to "put your money where your mouth is" but that if not enough other people do ...no harm no foul..no extra paperwork. Refunding money need not be done by the publisher.
So what if this got popular enough? Say someone who owned the rights to your favorite game was willing to bring some never to be published supplements for it, proposed this kind of offer to you. Would you do it? Of course this same product could be a brand new game, from a place like The Forge.

I can think of a few games, or miniatures I would jump at the chance.

Mediacasting...

2006-01-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

So, in response to the new iLife '06 product suite, I told my friend Brian that "If Apple can make mediacasting even easier,
they keep winning." He thought I should blog and claim the term...so I am. If you see it anywhere else, I am suing.

Thanks.

Steven Spielberg is quaking in his boots....

2006-01-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

Or maybe he is WoWing in his boots...

Anyway.

So with the rampant paranoia in the gaming industry about World of Warcraft being all 4 horsemen of the apocalypse wrapped up in one sweet MMORPG package, I got to thinking. If it is indeed the end of tabletop gaming as we know it...maybe it applies in other arenas of life as well. Like the movie industry. I mean, come on, we are all reading about how much it tanked last year...maybe it was because of all those crazy kids _making their own movies with WoW_.

The Internet is for Porn (SFW Video, kinda NSFW Lyrics). If the link doesnt work, just type "The Internet is for Porn" into the search field, and look for the World of Warcraft dudes...

With this, I remove my tounge from my cheek and head off to wait for the MWSF announcements....

"Thought begets hate, hate begets pain, pain begets war, war begets heresy.... our greatest enemy is thought"

2006-01-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

Me thinks the fine folks at Games Workshop have been drinking their own koolaid for far too long now. Have a glance at the below link:

Games Workshop warns on profit as Ring cycle ends

Hmmm. So people in the industry (not GW people) have been seeing this coming all last year. It's my humble opinion that GW went way, way too deep into the Lord of the Rings product line. Probably sounded like a great idea a few years back, when you couldn't huck a cow pie without hitting some LoTR branded product. Now...woo boy, they are hating it. Now, I am clear that a bunch of the things I mention below were forced by the license agreement they were "forced" into, so there ya go. The LoTR minis game had some serious fundamental flaws from the get-go:

- The minis were smaller than all the other standard GW games.
Customers who might have bought into the game to use the figures for Warhammer Fantasy Battle, didn't. Lost a nice source of additional sales due to scale.
- Independent retailers were sold the line on a "Short Discount"
Wether GW would like to believe it or not, indy retailers are a good thing for them. They help grow their brand and mind-share, and increase their range of people they can touch. By offering the game at a discount smaller than they offer for their other standard lines, many chose not to bring it in.
- The game should have followed a more "traditional army format" rather than a battle of good vs. evil.
Allowing people to play whatever good guys against whatever bad-guys you could muster sure may have seemed like a GREAT idea...in the end, it allowed people (mainly kids picked up this game it seems) to cheery pick the "cool minis" and ignore the core units for the game. If they had done codexes, similar to the ones they do for 40k and Fantasy, I think they would have sold oodles more minis in the end.

I think the main thing that really ended up hurting GW the most was the abandonment of the rotating third game, that they had done for years prior to LoTR. One of my business partners handed me this theory, and I think he is right on. So, every year or so, back in the day, GW would have two main games (Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy Battle) and a third game. Games in the past were Mighty Empires, Man-O-War, Talisman, Battlefleet Gothic, Epic, and the list goes on. They would push 40k for a while, then maybe Fantasy...then boom, they would lay down another game. This would not only throw some cash in the coffers by having all this new product on the market, it would essentially distract the hardcore GW consumers from their main two games, allowing them to take a break for a while. Then, as that third game wound down, GW would get aggressive with new releases for their core games...old would become new again, thus exciting.
Fast forward to today where all those "third games" are gone. They live in the specialist games category, but really seem to be gathering a bunch of dust in terms of mind-share. They only have their core two games, and LoTR as the third, and sadly, the third is really targeting a different base of customers.
Now we combine this with the fact that GW is faced with some of it's strongest competition in it's history. Veterans are leaving in droves for games like Flames of War (15mm WWII), Warmachine (steam powered fantasy), and the two Rackham games. So not only do they have competition, they are no longer innovating. For next year, we are going to see things like revisions to the Tau Army and Redos on the Eldar line (for the how many-eth time?) People are just getting bored. Tie this all together with being one of the most expensive games to play at a tournament level...bad times.

It is this retail store owners humble opinion that unless they revaluate their business model, these losses will not jump back into the black anytime soon.

Maybe the third time is the charm?

2006-01-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

So, yeah.

This is the third time I have tried to keep a blog. The other two times failed mainly do to an overwhelming feeling that if I wasn't posting al the time, I was doing a "bad job." Well, screw that. I am committed to only say what I gotta say, when I gotta say it. I also think I have more to talk about now-a-days, so hopefully that will make it all that much easier.
I am thinking a short introduction is in order. I am Chris Hanrahan. I am a husband to a lovely wife, father to two great kids, owner of a fantastic game store in Oakland, Ca called Endgame, and a gaming fool. I also do a gaming podcast with the fine folks over at Ogrecave on a semiregular basis.

As you can see by the profusion of gaming mentions, a lot of my life revolves around gaming in some aspect or another. Being a retailer in the "industry," I find myself thinking about and talking about gaming more along business lines than the mechanics or rules side of things. It seems we go into that a bunch on the Podcast as well. Many of the posts you see here will be along those lines as well.

I am also a HomeTheatre and Mac nut, so that will creep in here as well. If I was able to cruise more aboard fabulous ocean liners, that would be here as well...but that's only done every year or two, so you are safe there.

Anyway...that's the intro. For better or for worse, let's try and kick this pig off, and make it stick...this time.